The province’s 911 service and dispatcher has been experiencing issues of late, from interrupted services to staffing shortage, and to make things harder, the service says 20 per cent of the 911 calls it receives are accidental.
While it may be an innocent mistake, E-Comm said high numbers of accidental calls can be “harmful” and is asking for the public’s help to prevent pocket dials or accidental calls to 911.
“During each shift, a significant number of calls I receive on the emergency lines are misdials or hang-ups from people who have accidentally called 911,” said an E-Comm staff member named Roanne.
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“Some pocket dials are obvious. We can hear people having fun, singing along to music while they’re driving or cheering at sporting events. But we still need to take the time to call people back and confirm there isn’t an emergency happening.”
The service said accidental calls are dangerous because they can take critical resources away from people in emergencies who need them most.
Accidental calls are a growing concern for E-Comm, as it said these types of calls have been happening more frequently.
People who accidentally call 911 are being asked to not hang up but to stay on the line and let the call taker know nothing is wrong.
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